Tuesday 25 September 2012

Frugal Files: Stopping Wastage


Last time I was in Costco I decided to give Dawn dish-washing liquid a go.  I have to say I absolutely love it.  It works well, smells nice, has great suds...what more could a girl want?  Because when it comes to washing up I'm all about the smell and the suds.  If it smells yuck or it doesn't stay sudsy then I try to find ways to get rid of it.  Or I shove it unceremoniously to the back of the cupboard for use in emergencies.

My one problem is that I don't do the dishes all that often because the girls share the task on alternating evenings.  And my how they go through detergent!  A 350ml bottle was lucky to last two weeks.  How on earth do they do that?!  When I began using the Dawn I decided I didn't want that enormous bottle being emptied in the space of but a few weeks so I came up with a plan.  The ultimate "reduce, reuse and recycle" plan....for my little world anyway.  I foraged about in the cupboard beneath the sink and pulled out this pump dispenser that came home with who-knows-what in it (Dh often brings home samples of things).  It had been emptied, cleaned and awaiting some important future task so I filled it with Dawn and put the big bottle away again.

The girls have been happily using the pump dispenser which delivers a metered dose.  The three of us decided 2-3 pumps was plenty for a sink full of water.  Each smaller bottle full lasts a few weeks and we're all happy.

What have you done to "reduce, reuse or recycle" lately?

3 comments:

Left-Handed Housewife said...

I've been doing the same old things--using cloth grocery bags, trying to not overbuy at the grocery or waste food at home. I'd like to reduce the amount of energy we use in the house--one day I hope we'll get solar panels.

Nice your girls are the ones who usually do dishes!

xofrances

Tracy said...

I'd love solar panels too. The cost of installation is abominable though.

Left-Handed Housewife said...

Yep, that's why at this point solar panels are just a hope. I'm also hoping that one day we'll get rich enough to buy some!

xofrances